@volchtsa : Sorry, Didnt Mean To Interrupt, You Just Looked Sad. Amren

@volchtsa : ‘ sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt, you just looked sad. ’ — amren

sad seems to be an understatement, with the high lord being multiple drinks in — alone, surrounded by a mist of shadows, eyes burning a hole into the paperwork that was neglected hours ago. it's become a nightly routine since returning from under the mountain, wrapping up his days of hunting rogue illyrian war bands with anything to take the edge off. they were gruesome confrontations over the fifty years they'd decided to push boundaries, that ended with blood being spilled more often than not. a waste of life, especially when they'd need as many bodies as they could round up for the festering war. what he'd thought would be a decent enough distraction from the upcoming wedding, ended up only adding onto his stress.

her words pull him from his thoughts, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. after so many years, isolating himself to deal with his problems on his own had become second nature — but in moments like this, he is reminded of what it is to have a friend again. his family. he straightens, waving a hand. " no need to apologize. don't tell me you've gone soft in my absence. " a glass appears before them, a gift from the house for amren, filled with blood. " i was just lost in thought, i suppose. "

the distance between them is excruciating — every touch, every shared glance, is temptation enough to forget all about his vow to leave their bond in her hands. her whisper is an invitation, providing the exact amount of bravery he needs, along with the alcohol, to finally throw caution to the wind & satiate the relentless longing. he tells himself that to have her just once, even if it's written off later as a drunken mistake, is all he needs. his eyes are locked onto hers, darkening with uncompromising will. lips part to speak, however she's already beating him to it, bringing him back down to earth.

he leans back, spine instantly straightening against the back of his chair, eyes flickering to the dart board behind her, adjusting to the sudden shift. he ignores how much it stings, & is reminded of their harsh reality: this is what she needs, after everything she's been through, a friend. nothing more. he scoffs, as he finishes off his drink, a smile slow to appear onto his lips, not quite meeting his eyes. brows raise, adjusting the collar of his shirt — unimpressed with her challenge. " what i heard from that, was that you want to get your ass kicked in darts. "

for a moment, i thought i may have forgotten how to breathe -- realizing that if he were to lean in and take advantage of the dim faelights and close proximity to brush his lips against mine, i would have let him. shame wracks through me at the thought, but not enough to discourage it entirely. it was too easy to imagine knotting my hands in his hair, before ripping through the remaining buttons of his shirt -- my teeth grazing against the veins of his throat, as i peppered kisses along his jawline . . . i told myself it was purely primal, carnal desire that would subside soon -- rumbling, but fleeting temptation only derived from a decrepit sense of loneliness, that was simply heightened by liquid courage.

i bit my lip as he spoke, the soft purr of his voice sending a shutter down my spine -- his confession clamoring at a part of my soul in a way i still didn't understand. the way i could feel his pain and self-loathing permeate throughout my body as if it were my own. my hand pulled away slowly, tracing the sharp point of his ear. " maybe it's not about what we deserve, " i whispered, almost forgetting that anyone else was in the tavern with us, as we held each other's gaze a moment too long. the heat and sincerity burning in his stare, threatened to dissolve me -- i had no choice but to look away so i could regain my composure. glancing over my shoulder, desperate for any sudden distraction, " i bet i could beat you in a game of darts. "

send  an emoji  for  a  starter  based  on  the  trope.

tw:  dark  themes  present  ( blood,  death  etc )

“  my  muse  ”  is  the  muse  of  person  receiving  the  meme.  “  your  muse  ”  is  the  muse  of  the  person  sending  the  meme.

🛏️  -  a  starter  where  our  muses  have  to  share  one  bed.

💍  -  a  starter  where  our  muses  are  enemies  forced  to  marry.

⚔️  -  a  starter  where  our  muses  are  fighting  and  my  muse  admits  their  feelings  for  yours.  (  add  + reverse  for  your  muse  to  admit  their  feelings )

😴  -  a  starter  where  my  muse  is  comforting  your  muse  after  a  nightmare.  ( add  + reverse  for  your  muse  to  comfort  mine )

🤕  -  a  starter  where  my  muse  is  patching  up  your  muse’s  injuries.  ( add  + reverse  for  your  muse  to  be  patching  up  my  muse’s  injuries. )

🥂  -  a  starter  where  my  muse  drunkenly  confesses  their  true  feelings  about  your  muse  to  them.

💭  -  a  starter  where  my  muse  chooses  to  give  up  their  memories  of  your  muse  to  save  them.  ( add  + reverse  for  your  muse  to  give  up  their  memories  to  save  mine )

🥊  -  a  starter  where  my  muse  pins  yours  whilst  sparring.  ( add  + reverse  for  your  muse  to  pin  mine )

🛡️  -  a  starter  where  my  muse  protects  yours  from  a  fight.  ( add  + reverse  for  your  muse  to  protect  mine. )

🩸  -  a  starter  where  my  muse  is  injured  and  yours  demands  to  know  who  hurt  them.  ( add  + reverse  for  your  muse  to  be  injured )

💋  -  a  starter  where  our  muses  have  to  kiss  to  maintain  their  cover.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 -  a  starter  where  our  muses  are  fake  dating.

🤐  -  a  starter  where  our  muses  have  to  pretend  they’re  not  dating.

🤯  -  a  starter  where  my  muse  recognises  yours  from  a  past  life,  but  your  muse  does  not  remember  them.

☠️  -  a  starter  where  my  muse  admits  their  true  feelings  for  your  muse  after  believing  they’re  about  to  die,  but  they  survive.  (  add + reverse  for  your  muse  to  admit  their  feelings  to  mine )

🔪  -  a  starter  where  my  muse  kills  to  protect  your  muse.  ( add + reverse  for  your  muse  to  kill  to  protect  mine )

💔  -  a  starter  where  my  muse  breaks  your  muse’s  heart  to  save  them.  ( add  + reverse  for  your  muse  to  break  my  muse’s  heart )

🌪️  -  a  starter  where  our  muses  are  trapped  together  during  a  storm.

💰  -  a  starter  where  my  muse  has  to  seduce  yours  for  information.  ( add  + reverse  for  your  muse  to  try  to  seduce  mine )

✋   -  a  starter  where  my  muse  traces  your  muse’s  scars.  ( add  + reverse  for  your  muse  to  trace  my  muse’s  scars )

🫂  -  a  starter  where  my  muse  runs  to  embrace  yours  after  winning  a  battle.  ( add  + reverse  for  your  muse  to  embrace  mine )

👗  -  a  starter  where  my  muse  helps  yours  get  ready  for  a  fancy  event  [ eg.  fixing  their  tie,  zipping  their  dress ]  ( add  + reverse  for  your  muse  to  help  mine  get  ready )

PROMPTS FOR ORDINARY THINGS THAT FEEL INTIMATE *  inspired by this post. these don't have to be romantic - you can specify romantic or not when you send them. in essence, these are simply intimate, affectionate moments to share with someone you love and care about. adjust as necessary, send 'reverse' for the reversal of the prompt

[ lean ] sender rests their head on receiver's shoulder

[ shop ] sender and receiver go to the grocery store together

[ brush ] sender brushes receiver's hair

[ tie ] sender helps receiver with their tie, either by putting it on or adjusting it

[ necklace ] sender helps receiver with the clasp of their necklace from behind

[ zip up ] sender assists receiver with zipping up a piece of clothing

[ unzip ] sender assists receiver with unzipping a piece of clothing

[ shoelaces ] sender bends down to tie receiver's shoelaces

[ swipe ] sender notices a smudge of something on receiver's face and gently wipes it off

[ braid ] sender braids receiver's hair

[ jacket ] sender takes their jacket off and hangs it on receiver's shoulders

[ puddle ] sender hurries to stop receiver from stepping into a puddle

[ drinks ] sender brings receiver a drink from a bar/their kitchen

[ feed ] sender feeds receiver's pet/s for them

[ cook ] sender and receiver cook a meal together

[ feed ] sender allows receiver to try a bite of their dish, holding their fork out for receiver to taste

[ teach ] sender, an expert at something, takes time to teach receiver how it works and how they can get better at it, too

[ readjust ] sender comes up behind receiver and readjusts their stance (maybe holding a gun, holding a golf club, aiming for something, etc.) to help them

[ makeup ] sender fixes receiver's makeup for them

[ bathroom ] sender and receiver go to a public restroom together and have a normal conversation in between the stalls

[ aloud ] sender reads aloud to receiver

[ refill ] sender refills receiver's glass without asking

[ massage ] sender notices receiver looks tense, steps up behind them, and massages their shoulders

[ listen ] sender listens to receiver explain something they're passionate about

[ silence ] sender and receiver comfortably exist in silence together, both of them working or reading or focusing on something different

[ food ] sender brings food over to receiver's house

[ hum ] sender hums along to a song receiver is singing

[ see ] sender sees something that reminds them of receiver and texts them a picture of it

[ admire ] sender stares at receiver across a room, silently admiring and appreciating them from afar

[ win ] sender lets receiver beat them in a game

[ puzzle ] sender helps receiver solve/put together a puzzle

[ carry ] after receiver falls asleep in an inconvenient place, sender carries them to a bed and tucks them in

[ kneel ] sender finds receiver sick in the bathroom ("tossing their cookies"), and kneels beside them, holding their hair back and cleaning their face

[ clean ] sender helps bathe receiver

[ wash ] sender helps receiver wash their hair

[ patch ] sender carefully patches one of receiver's wounds

" talk, without wanting something? hm. perhaps you have changed in my absence. " rhysand chuckles, distracting himself with the sleeve of his jacket. family dinners had become daunting, somehow overwhelming since his return. the idea of getting home to velaris, to them ... it's what kept him going, all of those years. & yet, every moment he spends with them feels fleeting, now. as if he's expecting to lose them again. " you know as well as i do, they've already started without us. " a beat, before a bottle of amber, along with two glasses, appears onto the coffee table. he flashes an innocent smile, head tilting. " i suggest we at least try to catch up with them, before we grace them with our presence. "

he's relaxing a bit already, and mor finds herself softening her smile in return. she doesn't need to be anyone other than who she is around rhysand, just as he doesn't need to be anyone he isn't around her; it's been this way for as long as she can remember. ❝ you think that's the only reason i'm here? maybe i just want to talk you, rhys. ❞ though rita's is definitely one reason she's come to visit, but best not to admit that just yet. ❝ why don't we start with dinner? you look like you haven't been eating much lately, and i can't recall the last time i saw you eat with my own eyes. ❞ mor pauses, but only for a few seconds before going on. ❝ cass and az are both already in the dining room. they're just waiting for us to join them. ❞ dinner as a family is something they've only shared a few times since rhys had come back from under the mountain, and it's something mor craves now given how long they'd been apart.

he feels relief wash over him, his sheer panic melting into some thing of hope. for the first time in weeks, with feyre by his side — rhysand can start to see the light at the end of this tunnel. it leaves him wondering why he deprived himself of this to begin with. the curse breaker, the defender of the rainbow ... his friend, his mate. any impossible hurdle in their way, feyre has jumped over time & time again, making it look easy. in her short life, she has already stared death in the eyes too many times to count. she has always figured out a way to survive, despite any obstacle. feyre was a survivor. & she's saved him, far more times than he ever could her.

rhysand hadn't realized just how much he needed that: her strength, her willingness to stay such a pillar of unrelenting power. unbreakable, never giving up. even when everything else around her is crumbling. her confidence, stern & commanding, is exactly what he has been missing. the only thing keeping him from breaking. feyre's done more in these few seconds to assure him of their survival, more than he could provide in the weeks that he's had to prepare for this. it's another painful reminder that he doesn't deserve her, yet she still stands by him. even through this. for that — he will always be grateful.

lips part to object nesta's return, though the fire in her gaze reminds him he's in no position to negotiate. the high lord only nods, moving to carefully tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. his hand trails to reach feyre's stomach, the movement of their baby all it takes for his tears to finally break free. a reminder of what this is all for. " you have my word. " rhysand's words are clear, packed with such fierce conviction. he glances down at his hand, clearing the lump in his throat. a poor attempt at humor. " am i sworn to the couch, or may i use one of the many guest rooms? "

“ i don’t despise you, ” i rasped, staring down at our hands, the crippling realization of what it would mean to let go or pull away again suddenly incomprehensible — knowing that no amount of hurt or anger could ever truly outweigh my need for him. especially in a moment like this, the looming threat of time and distance hanging in the air. the urgency and desperation in his voice tore me apart, as it echoed throughout my soul. i could barely stand the thought of furthering his torment. i glanced towards the newest mark on my arm, that represented our final bargain. a pact to leave this world together when the time came — a promise to never leave the other's side. a rash deterrent made out of fear and love, with little mind paid to the consequences. an oath to ensure we both continued to live out long and fulfilling lives ; we never in a million years thought it would come to this. a sudden and brutal end, with so much at stake and so many at risk of being left behind.

we're running out of time. now i was the one who wanted to fall to my knees — it took every ounce of mastery and self-control that i had to remain upright. all of my strength came from our son, as i reminded myself that he could feel everything i did through a bond more eternal and profound than even the one i shared with rhys. he needed me, they both did, just as i needed them. i did not want our child to know dread and fury as we did — to be consumed by the same terrors and resentments i had been. he would never want for anything — not a second would pass where he didn't know how safe and loved he was. how his parents fought for him through the bitter end, just as they had fought for each other.

it was for nyx’s sake, that i considered his father’s plea. i was not ready to forgive rhysand, but i could not do this without him. i would not give up, but if it was true and our fate was inevitable, and i wasted the time we had left . . . i swallowed, before my voice turned more even and stern — that of a high lady who knew which battles were worth fighting, “ you may sleep downstairs until i say otherwise. ” my free hand grasped his chin, ensuring he looked at me, as i fiercely held his gaze. “ we will get through this together, and you will follow my lead. first, we will bring my sister back and then you will keep your promise and spend the rest of our lives making it up to me. ”